Chapter Text
When Madeline awoke a few hours later she was still on the couch and could feel the warmth of Alex’s body around her. She had stirred at some point, awake enough to feel Alex’s slow breathing under her head, and had sat in the silence just taking in the closeness. It had been a long while since she had been held, let alone comforted, and despite Alex barely knowing her he had offered himself to her in that way. The soft thump of his heartbeat had put her back to sleep quickly enough, but not before she fisted her hand into his shirt to hold on a bit tighter.
Leaning up with a slight groan Madeline blinked a few times as she tried to move and found herself incredibly stiff. She looked at the injured arm that was curled up between her and Alex’s chest, the dark purple bruise that marred her skin giving her pause before she tilted her head back to look up at Alex. He had his arm around her gently to hold her up as she clung to him with her other hand. It was still only faintly daytime, the weak sun barely giving off any light but the alert gaze Alex gave her told Madeline he had been up for a while now.
Alex had in fact sat awake on the couch for a while when he had woken up from his catnap to find Madeline curled hard into him. She was pressed so tightly against him he was pressed into the couch arm and she still seemed like she wanted to get closer. Her hand was gripping his shirt, the fist loose in her sleep but obvious that she was holding him. All his plans to get up and get started packing melted away as he shifted to pull her more onto him. It was a strange feeling as he looked down at her, to have someone like this with him, laying with him and actually wanting to be that close without any reservations.
Farah never stayed with him. The times she dragged him back to her room it was always just for sex and was quick about kicking him out when the reality of what had happened hit her. He didn’t begrudge her for it, not really, but it still stung to just be there to ease the physical ache. She didn’t want anything else from him and he told himself he was okay with that; he’d take what he could get from her. But each time they came together and flew apart it chipped a little more at him, gnawing at the realization he wouldn’t ever get what he craved from Farah. Then this morning waking up to someone that seemed to actually want him there and not just for his ability to do his job, or for pleasure, had been a rather harsh slap to the face. He couldn’t wait for Farah to decide what she did, or didn’t, want and he also couldn’t force her to make that choice either.
All the pieces snapped into place for Alex as he stared up at the ceiling, grinning a little as Madeline mumbled in her sleep as his fingers traced lazy circles on her back. He knew there were things to do, each minute sitting was a minute wasted, but he selfishly wanted a few more moments of silence, closeness, of physical contact. When he felt Madeline starting to stir, he had frozen his ministrations and watched her come to and had to hide the smirk on his lips as she nestled into him a bit as she blinked the sleep from her eyes.
“Hey,” Alex said simply, a small grin on his lips as he took in Madeline’s bedhead. Her hair had still been wet when she leaned over on him asleep and he had pushed it off her skin as best as he could which caused it to dry like a bird’s nest. “Didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No,” Madeline said as she kicked her legs out a bit on the couch to stretch them out. Everything was sore. Her ribs, her back, and she was certain if she touched the back of her head, it would be sensitive to the touch. “Everett up yet?” She asked moving to look at the bedroom door but the way Alex was holding her she wasn’t able to go far.
“I don’t think so, haven’t heard anything,” Alex answered as he looked over Madeline’s still sleepy face. He grinned a bit as she leaned forward to stifle a yawn in his chest before sitting back again and wincing. “How are you feeling?”
“Just sore,” Madeline confessed as she leaned further back into his arm to get a better look at him. “Probably didn’t help how I slept last night,” she added on with a small sheepish grin.
“I think it’s more of the being tackled and fighting for your life, but sure blame me,” Alex replied with a small laugh.
“Should have made E sleep on the couch and we could have taken the bed,” Madeline answered simply without realizing what she was implicating until the words were out. “I just mean, more room…you know.”
“That bed isn’t much bigger than the couch, you still would have been all over me,” Alex answered with a small smirk, watching Madeline’s face begin to burn. “Every time I moved you clung on a little tighter, couldn’t have gotten up if I tried.”
“Sorry,” Madeline mumbled though she was grinning a little bit as she extricated herself from his grip.
“Wasn’t complaining,” Alex answered before helping her sit up then also rose from the couch himself to stretch out. He had a bunch of things he wanted to get done, the mental list he had put together in his mind running as he added more and more things to it as he looked around the cabin. “I’ve got a few things to get done now that you’re up. Why don’t you go get E up and ready?”
“He’s going to be a delight,” Madeline stated with a small sigh before heading to the bedroom, giving the blanket on the floor by the back of the couch a wide berth.
The next thirty minutes consisted of Madeline waking a cranky child, dressing him, and packing up what she could find while also dragging said cranky child back out of bed when he tried to sneak back to sleep. Everett had always been a hard sleeper, even as a baby, and he would put up a hell of a fight if he was woken up too early or thrown off his sleep schedule. When he was awake enough to function, she shunted him off to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash up. She wasn’t going to make him take a freezing cold shower but she did force him to finally get out of his Batman pajamas and put on clean clothes.
Alex busied himself with throwing food from the pantry into a couple boxes he had found, not feeling as bad about taking it all since no one was coming back now. He had carefully kicked snow over the bloody trench that went around the side of the house as he loaded up, not wanting Everett or Madeline to see it. He siphoned gas out of the ATV and ransacked the storage on it for anything useful, tossing it all into the Tahoe before he walked back inside to find Everett standing at the bookshelves looking it over.
“I told him to find some things for the car,” Madeline explained as she looked over her shoulder at Alex. She had pulled a few books for herself and tucked them under her arm and Alex even noted the book he had been reading last night in her hand. He wasn’t sure when he would have time to read at this point but he appreciated it nonetheless. “Found a pack of cards and trivia,” Madeline added as she held up the two decks in her hands. “I’m guessing this collection is from what people leave behind, there’s so many random things.”
After a quick breakfast, figuring it would be the last hot thing they would all eat for a while, they were back on the road. Alex had poured over the map that Madeline had taken from the 7-Eleven to find a good route, marking it with a pen. He didn’t trust the GPS systems would last much longer since they were already having issues the day before. The map only covered the Northeast so they’d have to get another one at some point, but he knew they’d be at a gas station before long, unfortunately. The Tahoe went through gas so quickly climbing the mountains and hills in the snow that the meager amount he pulled from the ATV would only get them so far.
Madeline had started the trip in the back with Everett, occupying him with a game he had brought along since the car was completely silent. The radios were all down and it wasn’t as if the government let their workers keep mixtapes in their SUVs, not that Madeline hadn’t looked. She had scoured the glove compartment, careful to avoid the pistol in there, the center console, and the backseat pockets. Nothing but random tidbits of trash or discarded bullets and wires. The game ate up enough time for them to get through the mountains, their ears popping as they made their descent and Madeline grinned at Alex a few times when she caught him watching them in the rearview mirror.
“Can you join me?” Alex asked after a bit, his relaxed demeanor changing as he caught a glimpse of the highway as they crested a small hill. The main road was a giant gridlock, as he suspected, and even from this distance, he could see movement. He didn’t know if it was those things, people, or both. The military had set up roadblocks, as expected, but from this far away he didn’t know if they were actively doing checks or were overrun. The closer they got to civilization the more dangerous things were going to get. Atlanta was going to be a nightmare to get into but Alex had pulled his paperwork out of his vest, grateful he always kept his credentials on him and not his duffle, if checkpoints were still standing when they got there.
“Oh…yeah,” Madeline answered as she pulled a book from her pile and handed it to Everett. He turned his nose up at it but she pushed it into his hands anyway. “Just read for a bit, this was my favorite when I was your age,” she prodded before tickling his side and heading to climb into the front.
It took a bit of maneuvering to get to the front seat, needing Alex’s hand to help hold her steady as she squirmed and twisted before she sat down with a huff. When she caught sight of the area in the valley down below she kept her face steady as she took it all in, even if it made her feel sick to her stomach. How had things turned this bad this fast? Blockades were up everywhere, cars were bumper to bumper and she could see smoke in the distance, rising in large billowing clouds though she wasn’t sure from what.
“Just help me keep an eye on the area,” Alex said quietly as he watched Madeline’s eyes dart around the scene in front of them. He knew he should have felt a bit more unease at what he saw, should have been more concerned about military blockades and how things had fallen so far seemingly overnight. But he wasn’t. He had been living in a warzone for so long it was actually more of a shock to come home to some normalcy, even if it had been short lived. “We’re not going anywhere near that,” he said pointing with one finger at the lines of cars on the highway and the few that had abandoned the road to go into the snow-covered fields. “But people are going to start going the way we’re going and when people panic is when mistakes happen.”
“Right,” Madeline said quietly as she looked over at Alex for a moment before back out the window. She kept her hands fisted tight in her lap, twisting her fingers in and out of one another as she watched the landscape change. The peaceful mountains had hidden all of this from them. Even with the sick ranger it still hadn’t felt this real, or this bad, up there.
Alex kept both hands on the wheel as he followed the car's compass, taking roads he had memorized and a few switchbacks when he found the way blocked. When they drove through residential areas, he could see a few people peering at their vehicle from the windows of their house and his hand itched to the pistol on his thigh. Desperate people did desperate things and their very obvious government vehicle with its heavy front push bar and lights, though Alex didn’t turn them on, drew attention. He snapped the holster free casually and glanced sideways at Madeline who was watching him.
“Just precaution.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Madeline answered a bit hoarsely as she snapped her eyes back toward the road. Truth be told she didn’t like the feeling of being watched but she certainly hoped Alex wasn’t going to need to use that gun on any of these people. They were scared, like her, and didn’t have the provision or protection that Alex offered.
Backroads were a little easier, not many cars on them and it almost felt like the isolation of the mountains again. That was until they passed a van with a blown-out tire and a desperate family attempting to wave them down for help. Madeline squirmed in her seat at the sight, her eyes darting to Everett in the backseat who was actually nose deep in the book despite his initial complaining.
Alex pressed his foot a little harder down on the gas to pass the family and have them disappear around the bend. His stomach twisted at leaving them helpless but it was his job to make those hard choices and it was that family or them and, unfortunately, he felt he had more important cargo with him. He saw Madeline watch the group disappear in her side mirror before she sighed and settled back in her seat a bit.
When they couldn’t put it off anymore Alex found a gas station that was seemingly deserted. It was small, only four pumps and the building itself looked like it had seen much better days. He circled a few times before deeming it safe enough to stop. He gave Madeline strict instructions on what to do when he found the pump was off, down to how to stand and when to move. He would have to go inside and cut the power back on to the pump. He gave her back the second pistol as he dug out his M16 from the floorboard. They were to move quickly; no bathroom breaks despite Everett asking.
Madeline did as she was told, slamming the nozzle into the tank when the screen came to life before grabbing their extra gas can off the roof rack. She was jumpy, even the wind blowing a few stray leaves from last fall made her flinch and she nearly had a heart attack when the store door banged open and Alex jogged out. He had a few things in his hands and when he shoved them to her she quickly climbed back in the SUV to let him finish filling everything up.
“Wasn’t sure if any of them would work,” Alex said as he hastily climbed in and looked over at the faded packs of chargers in Madeline’s hands. They were all different sizes, some even wall chargers but he had found a cigarette lighter adapter in his quick search. “But my phone is dead and it’s the only way to get ahold of the team,” he stated as he dug the satellite phone out of his vest. In his haste to get into Madeline and Everett the night before he had dropped the phone in the snow, but hadn’t hung up. The phone continued to ring into the ether until it finally died due to use and the cold. Alex had fished it out of the snow when he dragged the body outside and cursed when he found the screen black.
“I’ll give them a shot,” Madeline said as she took the phone from Alex before trying to find ones that worked.
“And I also grabbed these,” Alex said as he pulled a few CDs out of the zipper pocket which made Madeline laugh. They were dusty, the wrapping on them seemingly baked on from sitting in the sunlight for too long. It was an eclectic mix that he had selected, a country CD from an album before even she had been born, a soundscapes, a random volume of Now That’s What I Call Music, some local singers’ demo and-
“Billy Joel?” Madeline asked with a smirk as she held up her CD of choice, flipping it over in her hands to look at the track listing.
“Don’t hate on originals,” Alex answered as he watched her peel the plastic off and open the case.
“I didn’t realize Billy Joel did Shameless. Isn’t that a Garth Brooks song?” Madeline asked as she slipped the CD into the player before glancing at Alex who was watching her indignantly.
“It’s a Billy Joel song,” he answered, skipping tracks until he got to the right one. He knew the album by heart, having listened to it so many times growing up. “His first, Garth just covered it,” he tacked on before the music started and he sat back in the seat singing along under his breath.
“Oh, excuse me mister music snob,” Madeline teased as she went back to flipping through the chargers.
When Everett moved up rows of seats and made a grab for the CDs Madeline handed them to him to peer at as she tried a promising charger. It didn’t fit and she tossed it to the floor before moving on to the next one. In the end none of them fit. It seemed like the phone power cord was unique which meant they would have to find an electronics store which meant fighting potential crowds, looters, and those things.
“I can’t even Google,” Madeline stated as she looked at her phone which had no service and just showed SOS where the bars would be. Her battery was dangerously low. She of hadn’t packed a charger in her haste to get out of the apartment and Alex hadn’t been looking for her type of charger in his rummaging. “I think we should try and stop and find one,” she ventured as Alex leaned his elbow on the driver’s window, relaxing his grip on the wheel to one hand since they hadn’t seen anyone in a while. “It’s the only way we can get updates from your team. And you can call Farah,” she tacked on, “make sure she is okay.”
“If we happen upon a place between here and Atlanta I’ll stop,” Alex said as he ran a hand through his hair. In the quiet of the car his mind had wandered to her more times than he could count, worry and preemptive grief warring in his mind. She would be in the thick of it, not abandoning her people, which meant being in the cities and leading evacuations.
He knew how those stories ended, that they had both lived this long was a miracle in itself, then throwing this into the mix was surely a death knell. He cut his eyes over at Madeline who was watching him, the silence having drawn on too long. “But I’m not going out of my way, not worth the risk. I am sure the CDC has more reliable methods to get ahold of them anyway. Their own phones, more powerful ones. Hell, if I can get a reliable connection from the military personnel bound to be stationed there I can just get into the satellites myself and find them.” He saw the look of apprehension on Madeline’s face and he laughed a bit under his breath, “CIA, remember?”
“Right,” Madeline answered as she powered her phone off to try and save any little battery she could. “Maybe it’s a good thing we can’t look things up, I’d hate to know what you could find on me.”
“You got things to hide?” Alex asked with a mocking eyebrow raise. “Secrets buried in your closet?” A distraction is exactly what he needed right now.
“Too many,” Madeline answered with a smirk, “I lived on a commune that you were so quick to call a cult. That’s not even my wildest story, probably one of the tamer ones really.”
“We’ve got plenty of time,” Alex replied as he glanced at the rearview mirror to see Everett sitting looking interested in the stories his Aunt could tell. “We’ll take turns, a story for a story,” he glanced at Madeline before back at Everett who looked excited as he put the CDs back on the center console. “That includes you,” he added directly at Everett who nodded in agreement.
That was how they passed a few hours, only falling silent when they happened upon traffic or pausing to laugh at something ridiculous someone said. Madeline learned little secrets from her nephew that genuinely shocked her, none horrible of course just typical kid things that she had no idea about. Alex had managed to keep all of his stories child appropriate as well, though Madeline had a feeling he had changed a few details or glossed over things here and there. Madeline herself had a decent few things to share that even had Alex glancing at her a bit shocked but grinning nonetheless. It had almost felt normal in those minutes as if they weren’t all thrust into the end of the world trying to stay alive.
The drive should have only taken about twenty hours but because they were avoiding main roads, highways, and cities it would take a few days based on their pace. They only stopped for quick bathroom breaks, gas fill-ups, and for Alex to take a few catnaps here and there. Madeline had driven a bit when they were in the bright sun of the day but at night even Alex decided pulling off would be best. Especially when they figured out the power grids were completely down on day two when they stopped at another gas station and Alex had to resort to siphoning again because the pumps were dead. No power meant no streetlight and as the days ticked by they found more people, and obstacles, on the road. He didn’t want to risk an accident and be stranded.
Such was how they found themselves pulled off the road into the woods a bit to remain hidden if anyone happened by. They were a bit further south now, somewhere in West Virginia, so the winter cold wasn’t as harsh as the mountains had been. They were safe to sleep in the car without freezing and Madeline tucked Everett into the back seat, slipping the headphones over his ears that connected to a CD player that Alex had pilfered on another gas station trip. She turned the volume up another notch on the soundscapes before sighing and settling back in the seat waiting for Everett to finally drift off.
Everett’s sleep schedule was completely thrown off by how they had been moving and whenever they stopped his anxiety shot up; especially in the dark. He would never admit that he was afraid of the dark, because boys weren’t supposed to be afraid, but Madeline knew he was terrified of it. Adding in the factor of actual monsters out there he jumped at every noise. The headphones were a gift for Everett as much as it was Madeline and Alex who spent most of their evenings placating him into sleep.
Alex had busied himself with checking the area out while Madeline got Everett settled in. He always circled and watched the area before he pulled off fully, making sure there were no threats around or anyone watching. But it still made him feel better to do a sweep of the area and cover up their tire tracks into the woods. The end of the world should mean people were too busy trying to survive to attack others but Alex had seen the worst of people, and then some.
Moving around in the woods also helped him take a bit of the edge off. The drive was taking longer than he liked. More and more time was added on with each side road they turned down or detour they took. His sighs of exasperation when they had to turn around because roads were too jammed, or an abandoned military blockade had the area cordoned off, were becoming more frequent. It wasn’t just the fact the longer they were out here the more at risk they were in, but it was the lack of communication. The radios were dead, electricity was out everywhere they stopped and he still hadn’t found the wire he needed for his phone. The only lifeline they had for outside information and he had killed it in his haste not thinking straight as he took care of Madeline and Everett.
Madeline sat still for another ten minutes until she heard Everett’s quiet snores, indicating he was fully out before she extricated herself from his feet. She was careful about it, gently setting his feet on the bench as she slipped away, snatching up a blanket from the middle row to wrap around herself to lie down. Alex insisted on sleeping in the driver’s seat, the key in the ignition ready to turn at a moment’s notice but Madeline couldn’t take one more night's rest in the passenger seat. Her back and legs ached from the cramped quarters so she took up the second row of seats to sleep, even if it was smaller than the back row which Everett claimed.
She hadn’t laid down yet, waiting for Alex to come back and get in. She didn’t like sitting in the car while he was out in the dark doing whatever it was he did. Knowing he was out there exposed made her uncomfortable but her and Everett being alone was worse. Peering around the windows for any indication of Alex in the dark she didn’t see anything but her own reflection in the glass for a bit until he finally emerged off to her left, making her jump out of her skin at the movement. He picked through the brush and trees before coming up to the SUV and moved around to the trunk to lean against it lightly.
Madeline gave him a few minutes of standing in the dark before she sighed and exited the SUV as quietly as she could. She watched Everett as she moved, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders and hiking it up to keep it off the ground before shutting the door and walking around to the back where Alex was perched on the rear bumper. He twisted his head to look at her with a small tired smile, though it was hard to make out with the faint moonlight.
“You going to camp out here?” Madeline asked as she tugged the blanket tighter around herself as she turned toward the woods to look around.
“Waiting on me?” Alex asked.
“Yes,” Madeline answered simply, “Everett finally fell asleep a little bit ago but I can’t lay down when you are out here alone,” she tacked on with a small huff as she leaned next to him on the trunk, wrapping the blanket a bit more around her.
“I just wasn’t ready to get back in yet,” Alex answered before twisting his gun between his legs a bit. “I needed a few minutes to clear my head, some silence and room to just…think or not think. I’m not sure.”
“Oh, well I can go,” Madeline said suddenly, feeling a blush creep up out of embarrassment for interrupting him. “I didn’t realize,” she pushed up off the bumper but Alex’s hand shot out grabbing her wrist lightly.
“It’s fine, you don’t have to go,” Alex said as he tugged her a bit back to show he wanted her to sit back again. “Sitting in the SUV for hours on end the past few days was just getting to me. Needed a change of scenery for a little while to get out of my thoughts.”
“I get that,” Madeline said quietly after a second, settling back down on the bumper and leaning her head against the back windshield to look up at the sky. The sky was clear but there was only a sliver of moon visible and the tall looming trees seemed to push the darkness heavier onto them.
They sat in silence for a while, Madeline wasn’t sure how long, just staring out into the woods or up at the night sky. Their breath puffed in front of them with each exhale and heavy sigh but aside from their breathing it was silent, too cold for the crickets and frogs still. When Alex adjusted Madeline dared to glance over at him to see him staring down at the ground. His arms were propped on his thighs and his face was pinched in concentration as he stared at the pine needle covered floor. His thoughts had certainly caught up with him even if he had tried to outrun them in the woods.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Madeline asked after a second as she pulled the blanket tighter.
“You don’t want these thoughts,” Alex answered with a small chuckle as he twisted his head to look up at her. He opened his mouth to say something else when he spotted it. It was small and a few yards away but close enough for Alex to make out the light flare. A fire. He pushed up on his feet instantly and reached for Madeline to pull her to him.
“What-“ Madeline started as she turned to see what he was looking at before she also saw it. What were the odds that they would run into another group of people out here? She flipped her wrist to grab Alex’s hand instead of him holding her wrist and she felt him gently grab it back, his fingers encompassing her in a warm grip. “What do we do?” She asked in a whisper as if they hadn’t both just been talking normally a moment before.
“Keep an eye on it,” Alex answered with slight hesitation. If they got in the car and tried to leave there was a high probability they’d hit something in the dark, or get stuck because they couldn’t see. Starting up the SUV would also draw the attention of these people, whoever they were, and if they had ill intent they were stranded. And any noise out here in the quiet could also draw those things. “I need to get higher,” Alex said as he twisted around to look. “Get back inside,” he instructed as he looked down at Madeline.
“Four eyes are better than two,” Madeline answered as she tightened her grip on him. “I’ll just sit in the SUV and stare out the window anyway. I can help,” she insisted and she saw Alex weigh out the options. “We can just sit on the roof, there’s a chance they already heard us and I’m not leaving you out here alone if they decide to come exploring.”
Alex looked up at the SUV before nodding, letting go of Madeline’s hand as he moved to help her up. He took the blanket from her as she stepped up on the bumper and grabbed the roof rack to help pull herself. He gave her a small boost, planting his palm on her backside to push her the rest of the way before throwing the blanket up to her. In the dead silence of the woods, every movement sounded like a gunshot, how her shoes squeaked on the plastic and the metal clips of the roof net clanked. He handed Madeline his M16 before hoisting himself up and settling himself down next to her, peering down his sights toward the fire.
Madeline adjusted on the roof, carefully kicking the netting away a bit before draping the blanket over her shoulders and gently moving to throw it around Alex. While it was safe enough to sleep in the car in warm clothes and under blankets didn’t mean it still wasn’t cold. Sitting on the metal of the roof didn’t help either. She shifted a little closer as she stared out into the woods as well at the fire that had grown a bit bigger while they had climbed, but it looked contained from what she could tell.
“See anything?”
“Hard to make out between the trees and bushes,” Alex answered as he swiveled a bit to the right then to the left to try and see better. “Few people, small fire. I don’t see anyone approaching,” he continued as he shifted to look behind them to see if they were being flanked, if the fire was just a distraction.
“Maybe they just pulled off for the night like us,” Madeline reasoned as she stared at the fire. She had asked Alex about making one on a particularly cold evening but he shot that down, they would be too easily spotted. He had been right; he had picked off this group of people within seconds of them lighting theirs and now they were targets for anyone else around. “Bit odd they are so close,” she added as an afterthought.
“There’s a campground not too far from here,” Alex answered as he lowered his gun down after a second, “maybe they saw it too. Or they’ve been here for a while and we are the odd ones that got too close,” he added as he glanced over at Madeline. He had felt her wrap the blanket over his shoulders and he grabbed the end of it and tugged it a bit tighter and moved closer so they were pressed side to side. “We’ll just watch and listen; they could be doing the same with us.”
They were back to sitting in silence again, both staring off at the little fire and listening for any noises around them. Everett hadn’t stirred inside the SUV that either of them could tell and the people hadn’t moved toward them either. Madeline was hoping it was just going to be a tense night that would lead to a very long day the next morning with a fully energetic cooped up child and two exhausted adults. Alex seemed to function just fine on little sleep but Madeline knew that would catch up with him eventually and she could see the dark circles under his eyes growing by the day. She on the other hand could barely make it through a day if she didn’t get at least six hours of sleep.
“You can go back in,” Alex said as Madeline yawned widely and leaned more on him, her arm curling her side of the blanket tighter around her. “It’s probably warmer and you can sleep. I don’t think they’re going to be an issue that I can’t handle.”
“I’m fine,” Madeline answered as she craned her head a bit to rest it on his shoulder, pulling the braid he did for her earlier over her other shoulder. He hadn’t lied when he said he could braid and when Madeline lamented not being able to shower and how her hair was driving her insane he had done it up for her. “Besides, you’ll freeze out here alone.”
Alex didn’t protest her staying as they sat, sliding his gun next to him before slipping an arm behind her back and around her waist to tug her closer. He could feel the small vibrations of her shivering even if she wouldn’t say it. When she tilted her head up to look at him he glanced down at her. She was close, dangerously close, and the small smile that played along her lips as they looked at one another was enough to make him swallow.
In one of the long nights in the dark Alex had opened up to her about Farah, about what she was to him and what he thought he was to her. It had been a moment where his thoughts had nearly eaten him alive and he needed to get them out, to voice the regret, guilt, and frankly confusion. Not just about Farah either, but about the whole situation and his worry for the team. Madeline had also vented her fears to him, her bone deep terror that her sister may be dead. That she would have to figure out a way to keep her nephew alive, raise him, and survive this mess and the future alone. It was as if both of them needed to release the cap on the pressure cooker before they exploded and they had talked until the sun came up and Everett had stirred.
Since then they had been walking a fine line. Their careful flirtation, passing touches, long stares, and shy turn aways from her had increased tenfold. He particularly enjoyed figuring out what would make her turn crimson when he’d say something that sounded innocent to a child but definitely was not to an adult. Madeline wasn’t so innocent either, her fingers dancing along his skin for a few seconds too long when they were passing food in the car or switching off driving. The most obvious tell he had picked up was when she would reach for his hand for reassurance during tense situations. She would lace their fingers together and sit in the quiet as they weaved through the packed streets until it was just them on the road again. Then she started doing it when Everett was asleep and she just reached for him for some human connection. Neither of them said anything about it, letting it just hang in the air as they went back to casual conversation and acting normal in front of Everett.
Madeline barely breathed as she looked up at Alex. His face was hard to read in the half dark but she could see the apprehension etched on his face. There was desire there, she had felt it in his looks and touches but there was also restraint and she didn’t want to push him too hard. It was hard for her to really describe what she was feeling for him herself if she were honest. Maybe it was her brain’s need for a distraction from everything, or perhaps that phenomenon she had heard about where people fall for their rescuer. Whatever it was it was burning her from the inside but she wasn’t going to press him if he wasn’t ready. His love for Farah ran deep even if he seemed aware it was misplaced and unreciprocated; those feelings didn’t turn off overnight.
“Don’t feel-“ before an earth-shattering scream made both of them jump.
It effectively ended the moment as Alex jumped for his gun and Madeline whipped around to try and see what was happening. There were more shouts and screaming and as if in response snarls and shrieks that sounded unearthly erupted all around them, echoing off the hills. Branches close and far snapped as things moved through the woods as if the forest itself were coming alive.
Alex had his scope trained on the fire when he saw one of the things take a flying leap at someone, hard to make out a man or a woman and took them down. Then more came seemingly out of nowhere and began attacking the group. Alex wasn’t sure how many of them there were but he didn’t have time to worry about that, he had to get himself and Madeline safe but the sounds coming from the woods behind them told him they were too late to try and get inside the car. They would draw too much attention with their noise and fumbling in the dark would slow them down.
“Lay down,” Alex ordered quickly as he yanked the blanket out from around them. He gestured frantically as Madeline stared at him, the shrieks of those being attacked continued to grow and more and more responses from those things were getting closer.
“Everett,” Madeline breathed out as she stared into the dark. “If he wakes up, tries to get out of the car,” she was shaking and it wasn’t just from the cold. If he woke up, alone, and heard what was happening he would panic. He’d get up and try to get out, to find her or Alex and if he opened the car door he would be walking right out into a trap. She leaned over the side of the SUV as if she were going to jump down but Alex snatched her around the middle and pulled her tight to his chest. The frantic running of feet was close and he knew they had seconds to get hidden and quiet.
“He’ll sleep through it,” Alex said confidently, even though he had no idea. He held her back against his chest, his voice hushed as he wrapped his legs between hers to get them as close together as possible. He was trying to take up as little room so they could be right in the center of the SUV’s roof. He flipped the blanket up over them as a last-ditch effort of camouflage as something collided with the car sending it rocking. He felt Madeline tense and the small gasp she let out as his hand snaked up from around her to cover her mouth with his palm.
Madeline felt the whine of panic in her chest as Alex held her, his grip tight over her mouth as he pulled her back to him. She was breathing frantically, the dark of the blanket over them was suffocating and the snarls and shrieks around them were disorienting. They could easily climb up on the car and get them, it wasn’t that high and she felt too exposed. She slipped her hand down to grab at Alex’s other hand that was flat on her stomach and grabbed at it hard enough that she thought she might break his fingers but he didn’t flinch. He continued to hold her back, his breath warming the crook of her neck as he listened.
The SUV rocked again and Madeline took in a sharp breath through her nose and Alex felt the panicked tears hit his fingers. She was terrified, her body shaking hard enough that it was making him vibrate. Alex ran a soothing thumb over the back of her hand that held his. Truth be told he was scared but he couldn’t let the fear overwhelm him, especially when Madeline was clinging to him to keep her grounded. Her breathing was erratic and he knew if she didn’t get enough air soon, she was going to pass out on him. Maybe that would be a small mercy.
“I’ve got you,” Alex barely whispered against Madeline’s ear. The shrieks and snarls around them drowned out his voice enough. “Mads, breathe and it’ll be over soon,” he assured her as a woman screamed in the distance. Alex closed his eyes in a flinch at the sound but he also secretly thanked the stranger for it because it called the attention of the stragglers that were lingering around them to go that way. “We’re going to be okay, just breathe,” he said again, his lips brushing over the soft spot just below her ear, another distraction to pull her from the panic. He was close enough he could feel the goosebumps race across her skin at the contact but he didn’t pay them mind; there was time for that later.
Madeline closed her eyes at Alex’s voice, doing her best to just pay attention to him. Focus on how his hands held her, how his voice skittered along her skin, the feeling of him breathing behind her, and the softest brush of his warm lips on her frozen skin. She nodded at his instructions to breathe, trying to force herself to follow those instructions as the things started to dissipate around them. She knew it was selfish and awful to be thankful that they had found other victims but Madeline couldn’t help herself. She would deal with that guilt later, but for now, she was thanking whoever it was out there that the three of them had been spared.
“Few more minutes,” Alex said as the activity started to slow down and quiet. The things prey were all gone; either torn to shreds, turned or they managed to find somewhere to hide. He was sure the fire had drawn their attention, a rookie mistake that had cost multiple people their lives. “We made it. We’re good. Let’s get back inside before anything else comes wandering by,” he tacked on before daring to press an actual kiss behind her ear, selfishly wanting to feel that pleasurable shiver from her again.
Madeline agreed, unable to speak as he kept his palm over her mouth. She had taken in a sharp breath at the kiss he pressed against her skin, it had been so faint and brief she wasn’t sure she felt it at all until she heard Alex chuckle a bit. Madeline leaned her head back some so Alex would pull his hand from her mouth, the panic having subsided. He picked up the queue and let his hand slide down over her jaw and throat to rest softly on her sternum. They lay together for another few minutes, just to be sure everything was gone.
When the silence completely overtook the woods again Alex gently extracted himself from Madeline and sat up, grabbing his gun. He made Madeline stay lying down as he assessed the area before deeming it okay enough to get down. He jumped off the side first before turning around to help Madeline, his hands going up to grab her around the hips to lower her. She stared up at him as he held her for another second before twisting to open the door and climb inside, her hand grabbing him by the arm to drag him in with her.
“No front seat tonight,” Madeline breathed as she dragged Alex to her in the second row, giving him a moment to shut the door. “Stay with me,” she added as she stared up at him as he stooped in the small space looking down at where she was. She glanced back at Everett who had rolled in his sleep so his back was to them. He hadn’t woken up; the headphones were probably the best things Alex had found in his quick scavenging.
“No front seat,” Alex agreed quietly as he took a heavy seat on the bench row after manually locking the door. He didn’t even need to reach for Madeline, she was already half on him by the time he had sat. She curled up in his lap, draping her legs over his as she curled against his chest and rested her head between his neck and shoulder. He wrapped her up tightly against him and grinned as she rested her hand on his chest before curling her fingers to grab his shirt to hold onto him tighter. He yanked up the blanket and threw it over the two of them before he sunk down a bit in the seat so he could rest his head on the window.
It was cramped with how they were seated but Madeline didn’t care. She wanted to be with Alex, to feel him against her like the night at the cabin all those days ago. He made her feel safe when she was tucked against him and the darkness didn’t feel as cold when he kept her warm. As they sat in the silence and breathed together Madeline arched her head up to kiss Alex just under his jaw, his beard tickling her face in the dark as she did so.
“Thank you,” she mumbled against his skin and grinned as she felt him rub her arm weakly in response, already half asleep.